for the few of you who read this.......I am busy blogging about my recent trip to Africa...If you want to read that, email me and get the blog address!

In 1987, on the heels of winning the 21st Super Bowl, Phil Simms was the first to respond to the question, “Now that you’ve won the Super Bowl where are you going?” His response was simply, “I’m going to Disney World.” This advertising campaign has continued to echo right through Super Bowl after Super Bowl, including the same words from the mouth of Tony Dungy last year as a part of the Indianapolis Colts victory over Chicago.

It seems like a very logical question. Now that you’ve climbed the summit of your sport, what do you plan on doing next? How will you celebrate?

A similar question could have been asked of Jesus at the conclusion of His awesome baptism and endorsement from God. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” was the celestial announcement. You’ve arrived. You’ve been pronounced as God’s own, His select, Beloved…

So what’s next?

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ~ Matthew 4:1

Incredible. With the words of God still ringing in His ears, Jesus, the only begotten was whisked off by the Spirit into a place of isolation, solitude, discipline and ultimately temptation. The Disney World experience for Jesus turned out to be a showdown. Instead of a celebration, Jesus encountered the conflict of the ages. The devil himself gave Jesus his best shot, no pulled punches, no accommodation for the fact that God had just weighed in on His identity… it was game on.

And I wonder… just why do tough things happen? Why does it seem as though at the most unexpected moments we are ushered into the vortex?

Perhaps it’s to prove that the victory itself was not a temporary lapse into a blissful condition. The endorsement of God, His declaration of our position in grace and consequently our place in His family doesn’t isolate us, but it does equip us.

Jesus, with the full radiance of the pleasure of God on His life, was led by the very Spirit of God into the wilderness to face insult, conflict and scrutiny.

So yes, now that we’ve won the Super Bowl, life may be tough. We might face challenges that we never dreamed possible. But we’re never, ever alone. We have a friend, a Savior, our Lord who has traveled this road before us. He knows our battle…He’s faced it and won.

Jesus traded Disney World for a wilderness, just so He could show us the way to true and complete victory.

I have never really been too interested in participating in the “Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona Spain. The thought of those huge beasts bearing down on me doesn’t exactly excite me. But, recently, I have begun to think that just maybe, I am ready for the challenge!

I say this because; if you are crazy enough to venture to the mall, Target, or heaven forbid a Wal-Mart this time of year…..there is a really good chance that you are placing yourself in much more danger than any of those bull runners! I think I’ll take my chances with “death by beef” over that crazy lady racing after the last Cabbage Patch Kid!

This time of year, it is simply crazy to get out there in the holiday mix. Just ask any of our church folk who are lucky enough to work in retail the day after Thanksgiving and see how much “Christmas cheer” they saw that day! Everyone is busy. Everyone is working hard to finish up the year strong. Everyone is financially stressed. And everyone wants to get the very best gifts for their loved ones. So, as a result, you get a literal rat race of people, all running themselves crazy, and no one enjoying a minute of it!

I just want to encourage you all to slow down this Holiday season. Find a night to get away. Maybe read a Christmas book with your kids. Take a drive in the car with no radio and look at Christmas lights. Take some time and thank God for all you have this year. But do something. Slow down for a night. Take advice from the 46th Psalm: “Be still and know that I am God”.

Merry Christmas

I am probably the richest dude I know. In fact, right now, I am 100% sure of it! And this is very weird to say, given my chosen profession. And also due to the fact that: I was paid yesterday and after sending off bills I have less than $100 right now to make it through the month, my TV is going bad and the picture is so dark you can barely see it, my PC is so old and slow that it will take a good 5 minutes to post this blog, and all my underwear have holes in them. Yet, I sit here and proclaim great riches!

I just put my daughter to bed. My wife is out of town (hurry home dear) and my son fell asleep early. SO she and I stayed up a little late. It was wonderful. We read some books and she practiced her colors. Then, she lay in my lap as we shared her 1st viewing of “Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin”. I played with her beautiful angelic blonde hair. She looked up twice and smiled a smile so warm that it could melt the great polar ice caps. The smiles were followed by “I love you Daddy”. Twice she randomly sat up to kiss me. And on one of the last commercials she left the room for a minute and then came running back in with a grin from ear to ear, with a baby doll wrapped in her blankie, and she handed it to me proudly saying “It’s a present for you Dada”. I just put her to sleep. As I stroked her hair again I sang her favorite 2 bedtime songs of Twinkle Little Star and Jesus Loves the Little Children. As I left she again smiled and said “I love you Dada”.

So, once again, I boldly shout: “I am the richest man in this world”. I would not trade these blessings for all the millions in the world. My God is good.

It took my 4 yr. old to remind me of who’s in charge in this world! Yesterday was my day off. As such, I took the chance to make a few repairs at the house. If you know me at all, you know that the very mention of me and repairs in the same sentence could set the universe off course!  I am the anti-handyman. But I tried.

We had two doors in our house that had been broken fro some time due to some hinge breaking issues. So, blowing the dust off the ol’ drill I set out to work. The front closet was fairy simple and was fixed in a few minutes. That simply left the daunting front door! It is an old, solid hunk of wood that was barely opening and closing. So, after many busted attempts, bloody knuckles and bouts of anger, I got it! The door closed just right and all was well!!

Jude had been “helping” by sitting with me and watching, and at times holding the door still. Once complete, I jumped up, playing with him, threw my arms victoriously into the air and shouted “Who’s the man?”. I was expecting some possible laughter, and maybe a pat on the ol’ back.

My son calmly looked at me with a straight face and gave me the answer: “God”. Not Daddy, you are the man, but simply “God is the man!” WOW! I looked at him, laughed and gave him a great big hug. “You are right son” I said, “God is the man. He can fix everything”. I kissed his head and thanked him for reminding me that.

Our God is amazing isn’t he? We sing that our God is alive, and praise him this is true! His word promises that he is in charge of this place and that His Son has overcome this world! Victory is ours, because we belong to Him! My Lord can always “fix” things…he truly is “THE man”.

One thing that Jess and I got to do on our recent trip was to play. Simply play! It was glorious! One way that this manifested itself was in the form of insane roller coasters. We spent one afternoon in Tampa at Busch Gardens. The park’s crown jewel is a brand new ride called Sheikra! It was CRAZY!

At 200 ft., it is the tallest dive coaster in the world. It took you to the top while your feet dangle in the open air, and stops on a literal 90 degree angle. You are looking straight down at 2oo ft of sheer terror! It was SO FUN!

On the way to the top of the hill, a thought entered my mind. “Why am I doing this? Seriously, I am sitting in a piece of metal that some man designed, and I am voluntarily letting it take me way high up, and then drop me down, trusting that it will not kill me.” When I put it like that, the whole idea of a thrill ride seemed just a little dumb huh?

Do we ever ask that question in response to Satan? I think many times it would apply. The devil leads men places that we would never go normally. But when they are disguised as “simple fun”, he jades our perspectives. So we allow ourselves to be taken to dangerous places, lying to ourselves that it is just a “thrill ride” and nothing more. “everything will be alright” we tell ourselves.

I am here to tell you that this is a lie! I know too many people whose lives were ruined by allowing themselves to be taken to some dangerous place, all in the name of “harmless fun” and “thrills”. In John 8:44, we are told that Satan is the father of lies. So be careful. Is that certain thing in your life that you are calling “fun” really more? Is it really dangerous?

I survived the roller coaster. In fact we rode it again, and it was fantastic! Thank goodness it was not a matter of life and death. But maybe, the next decisions you make when alone and away from watchful eyes are. Be careful. Guard yourself.

My wife and I just got back from a vacation celebrating 10 years of marriage! It was WONDERFUL! We were in Orlando, FL. It was SO awesome that I will definitely be writing my next several articles about it, so get used to it! J

We knew it was the home of all things Disney and Roller Coaster. What we were not aware of was that it was the home of all things REPTILE (much to Jessie’s horror! J)! Geckos lizards were more common than tourists with fanny packs! Every step you took, you HAD to watch out for the stinkin’ little things. And it was funny, because they are tiny little creatures and virtually harmless. But you can spot a non Floridian a mile away because we were all jumping each time one crossed our path. Some worse than others…with some you’d have thought a velociraptor crossed over! But we were reacting to a threat; as little as it seemed by putting up defenses, even though we KNOW it could not hurt us.

Why do we not do that with sin? We treat sin so casually and act like we aren’t afraid of it. Why aren’t we jumping and running at the mere sight of it, even the smallest “gecko-sized” appearance of it? Why don’t we run from it? “FLEE” from it, we are told in the word.

Instead we just say things to the effect of “it’s a harmless little lizard” and watch more things we shouldn’t, listen to things etc…until we become so numb that a man-eating cobra does not faze us at all. I see it happening all over our culture and even in my own life.

I challenge us today to change that. Let us RU from sin, treat it like the deadly killer that it truly is. How much different would your life look if you did this? I know mine would not be recognizable!

So I thank you little geckos, you opened my eyes up…and next time I see you…..I’ll be ready! J

On my way to preach in California Sunday, I spotted a dead car on the roadside. A young man was standing beside it with jumper cables, trying unsuccessfully to flag down help. I though about doing like everyone else and driving by, but decided maybe this would be the chance to preach my best sermon of the day. So, I pulled over. The two guys looked like they’d had a rough night and reeked of alcohol.
The driver thanked me for stopping. He began telling me all about their “crazy night” how they’d been partying and passed out only to wake up late for work this morning to discover that one of the party goers had stolen their Xbox, stereo etc. But “don’t worry, we’ll get them” he assured me. This story was laden with all sorts of choice expletives. He saw my dress clothes and asked if I was going to work (church never entered his mind). When I said church, he was uncomfortable. I should’ve told him then I was a minister, but waited. Finally after several minutes of unsuccessful tinkering to get his car started, he politely said “aren’t you going to be late to church”. Maybe I am mean, but I just couldn’t pass up this chance.  So, I smiled at this young man bragging about his partying and cursing rampantly, and said “Oh, they can’t start without me, I am the preacher!” BANG!!! It was sweet! I wish you cold have seen his face. He began to backtrack and try and cover up his speech, but it was useless, and it came out as incoherent mumbles. I smiled and told him to not worry. Eventually, we couldn’t get it started, so he thanked me over and over for stopping and said, “at least 20 cars went by”. I told him I’d pray for his stolen property and wished him God’s blessings (to which he did NOT know how to reply). I pray these 15 minutes will have an impact on his heart. Maybe now when he thinks of Christians, he’ll at least think we’re people who stop to help? Who knows? Maybe he’ll not think of Christians as judgmental people, but friendly folks. Maybe he’ll never think of it again, but I hope so. It was a moment I would consider evangelistic. And I didn’t have to preach, quote scripture, or have all the answers…I just had to be a friend. How many more ways could we be touching this community? Go today, and be a friend…

It was a wonderful weekend last week, as we worshipped and learned at Faith Quest. We learned something new and different. The theme this year revolved around marriage. More specifically, the metaphor of Jesus married to us as his bride, the church. It was different, and quite interesting.

We all struggled with this idea a little. Especially the teens, who have no real grasp yet of marriage. Even we adults felt a little uncomfortable with the idea. It bothered me. Why were we so uncomfortable with a description that coming straight from the Bible?

I realized what it was. This was simply not the way we normally, and personally pictured God. We all think of God in different ways. Some of us may view Him like a father. Others may think of Him as a strict disciplinarian. Some of us may picture him as a provider. Others may think of him as cosmic killjoy. The list goes on and on. And not one of this weekend apparently thought of Him as a husband very often.

I think I know why we do this. We simply cannot grasp the concept of God so we try and make him what WE want him to be. His greatness is so inconceivable that we try and bring him to a level we’re comfortable with. We make Him more like us. We try to reduce him to “manageable terms”.

The weekend really made me think. We have a long way to go to understand our wonderful God! The truth is, EACH of the descriptions above is accurate! God literally is ALL THINGS! It is our challenge to open our minds and take Him in, and learn more about Him. The only way to do this is spend time with Him! I believe He went to great lengths to reveal himself to us. His word is there to give glimpses of that greatness! I want to know him more, like the popular worship song says! Will you join me on this quest?

Scripture says that Jesus is a husband. It also describes a father, and all the things we think of, rolled into one! God is good, sovereign, holy, wise, just, jealous, love, faithful………

Need I say more? Maybe God is much bigger than we give Him credit for. Let’s take Him out of our man made boxes, and together learn how amazing he truly is!

Well, Barry Bonds did it. He broke a record that was one time thought unreachable. And yes, ESPN has given it decent coverage, but there has not been the media hoopla that you would expect. Unless you live in a cave, you know why. It is widely accepted (though not fully proven) that Barry Bonds has enhanced his performance using steroids. As such it is considered a “tainted record”. So….. For a sports feat that should be getting coverage all over, you haven’t heard that much about it! It is sad…..especially considering that Binds was easily the best player in baseball before he made the decision to cheat. So forever, the record will be considered *tainted.

What an ugly word. It means that something is contaminated, stained, spoiled, soiled, infected, ruined, dirtied, polluted or corrupted. Who would ever want to be described in such a way?

Yet many times, if truth be told, I imagine that our faith could be described as tainted. Think about it…we subscribe to the ten commandments yet we steal music off the internet, we talk about people behind their backs, we lust after images on the computers and tv’s etc……… Truth be told, we are all a little tainted too.

Yet, we need not be. God made us pure with blood of His son. We can be perfect in God. Although Barry was never perfect, he was darn near close to it on the diamond! And then he chose to ruin that.

I urge you…don’t make the same decision. Stay untainted. Stay pure.

It's an emotional month for me. I've been experiencing melancholy days, especially this week. The reason for this is simple: I'm losing 3 special friends this month. Monday, I had lunch with Jared before hugging him outside of Kaleidoscope pizza and watching his truck roll off into the distance. As I write this, in just a few hours there will be a small going away party for Laural, and I know tears will be shed. Then, in just 2 weeks or so, Nathan and his lovely family will head South to begin a new leg of his ministry work. WOW! That is heavy…. 3 special people in my life, all leaving at once, and it makes me a little sad.



Yet, as sad as I feel, underneath these emotions, I am nothing short of jubilant! I celebrate with gladness these departures because I know they are following God's path laid out for each of them, and I know they are going to do amazing and wonderful things wherever this path may take them! They're not leaving for no reason. They are following God! So, while part of me wants to cling to them, the rest of me celebrates and dances, joyfully dreaming of the blessings of the kingdom they are about to be part of!


It's a reminder that we're NOT in control of our lives! We do NOT get to call all of the shots! God is NOT a static God, and Christianity is NOT a spectator faith! All of us, as God's children are always one call away from taking off on this path as well! The great commission says to "go make disciples OF ALL NATIONS", and that does not sound passive to me! Throughout history God has been a "plan changer" if you will. Jonah sure did not want to go Nineveh. Saul would never have headed to Damascus had he known the implications. Men never dreamed of leaving their careers as fisherman or tax collectors… but God had different plans!


What does he have planned for you? What are His dreams for you? Where will he take you? Will it be Oklahoma City? Lubbock, Texas? Woodland, California? Maybe he has something HUGE planned for right here in Medford? Whatever it is, I urge us all to listen to his call.

Summer means a LOT of things. It means vacations. It means cookouts. It means summer camps and mission trips. It means VBS. It means FUN! And it also means, blockbuster movie season! This year is no exception. Already 3 HUGE movies have hit us, all 3 being the 3rd in successful series: Spidey, Pirates, and Shrek.

Personally, I thought Pirates 3 was a HUGE disappointment. I wanted my money back at the end. But, I LOVED Spiderman 3! It was incredible!! I loved the characters (though Venom was not shown enough, the storyline and the action! The fight scenes were incredible! I liked the dark, egotistical, cocky, emo looking Peter Parker…I loved it all.

Once again, it was ripe with the cheesy and goofy comic book dialogue that a true fan should expect. And once again, I loved that. There was one cheeseball quote at the end; spoken by Peter that I thought actually was profound. It went like this:

“Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. My friend Harry taught me that. He chose to be the best of himself. It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right.”

I really like that, especially the last part. It really IS the choices that make us who we are. We can talk as big and holy as we like. We can go to as many church services and activities as possible. We can read Christian books, listen to Christian music. We can do all this…but the daily CHOICES we make reflect who we are. All of the aforementioned things mean nothing if we still make choices daily that reflect lust, greed, dishonesty, etc….

Get my drift? What we DO…the CHOICES WE MAKE define us…and it is by those things that we will be remembered. My prayer is that I will be like Harry, and choose to be the best of myself.

Yesterday was a big day in the Pannell home. Yes…it was Sunday…which means BUSY here….yes it was also “Graduation Sunday” which means even busier for this youth minister….but that was not even the highlight. Yesterday afternoon, we spent time having a birthday party here. My beautiful baby girl somehow turned 2 (actually today, but she doesn’t know that).

It was fun. We filled the place with balloons, family and friends. She had her best pal Emma over, “Aunt Ammer” and “uncle Juh Juh”, her new buddy Jared, and her 3 favorite sitters, Hannah, Laural and Kayleen. Everyone enjoyed Merrick’s favorite cookies, Ice Cream and Punch. She blew out her candles and LOVED getting sung to! It was a blast.

After these festivities, came the “BIG EVENT”…time to open presents. This turned out to be entertaining. She got some very generous toys…including a Cabbage Patch with clothing set, puppy dog that barks, Elmo Magnet Draw Board etc, and some beautiful clothes, BUT her 1st gift was the big hit….a silly pack of bubbles from the Dollar Store. It was cheap and goofy…..but she LOVED it. She kept going back saying “play bubbles”. She’d stop opening a gift in mid-rip and go to the bubbles. She’d open a toy, look at it, then promptly drop it and walk to the bubbles again. She loved the bubbles, and was SO distracted by them; she couldn’t focus on the other gifts all around her!

I think we live life the exact same way at times. Except for us, it is not bubbles. It is something else….like money, or status, or fame, or love of ourselves. And we get so focused on this petty little gift… that everything else loses importance around us.

In fact, we fail to notice that God has literally surrounded us with bigger and better GIFTS. As a result, people neglect their faith, their churches, their bodies, their families and their salvation. All of the beautiful gifts are kicked to the wayside due to our child-like infatuation with something silly, and something that will easily be gone and waste away…LONG after everything else still stands.

Eventually she got back to her other gifts. Today all she could talk about was her new dress and her baby dolls! Lucky for her it was not too late! I urge you to reconsider the gifts God has blessed you with…before it IS.

Well……I am back at home and I am exhausted. You may have heard or read by now about my father’s accident. Just hours before I was set to fly to TN last week, he was electrocuted and burned at work. Needless to say…this put a shadow over the entire trip.

You may remember my last blog. It talked of the hope of the week. Well…..it just did not quite work out like planned. My parents were gone most of the week in a hospital in AR. Half of the reason to go was for the kids to see their grandparents and we weren’t able to. Then to add stress, Merrick got sick. For 2 nights she did not sleep and threw up purple puke all over me! Then on the nights she was feeling better, Jude got an infection and was running a 104 degree fever! Yeah…this is all truth folks…I couldn’t make this up! So needless to say…it was NOT the sweet and peaceful, relaxing trip I had so dreamed about.

But, I was there for a reason. It was good to encourage my Mom and Dad. I was able to help Mom change bandages. My kids got to really grow closer to cousins…etc. God had a plan. I wish I could tell you what it was. I wish I had an inkling of a clue…but I do not.

All I do know is that it was a very REAL reminder that I am not in control of this life! I can try and pretend all I want, but it is my God who holds the reins. Maybe it was a lesson I needed to be reminded of. Maybe we all do……..GOD is in the driver’s seat folks!

Well……this week looks to be a challenge. I am very busy prepping for a trip. My lovely wife gave me a wonderful gift for my recent 33rd birthday. I am going home! Yes…Memphis awaits my immennent return. It has been going on 2 yrs. since I have graced the southern city, and it is past time that I see my family. So that is the good news. The bad news is that my wife cannot go with me. Which also means……I will be taking both kids (because truth be told…the fam really wants to see my kids, NOT me ) ALL BY MYSELF. If this is not horrible sounding enough, it is a RED EYE! And if that is not bad enough it gets better: a red eye with @ LAYOVERS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT/MORNING!

SO yes…..I am very excited and yes….I am VERY scared! I imagine a scenario where we get to Chicago at 4 in the morning and both kids are dead asleep and I have the task of somehow carrying their dead weight and 2 back packs through the O’Hare nightmare!  I have visions of in flight 2 AM meltdowns. I wake up in the night in cold sweats, imagining that I fell asleep in flight and woke up to find Jude missing and Jodi Foster searching for him…………..it is awful! 

Truth be told, I know I will survive. It may be hard. I may get frustrated. There will be dirty diapers and maybe a few tantrums. But I know I can make it! What I have to keep telling myself is the reward that waits on the other side will so outweigh the bad, that I’ll easily forget the flight. Taking the kids to their 1st zoo, their 1st Chuck E Cheese, watching their beautiful little cousin play in her 1st t-ball game, seeing my kids hug their great grandparents, my Dad taking my son fishing….all these things are FAR BETTER than any trial I will face.

It encourages me. Life is no different. Some days will suck. Some months will be tough. A lot of the time it will flat out hurt. But what I can tell you is: that I believe what comes on the other side of this “flight” so far outweighs any trials that we will forget it all! No tears, no death, no sickness, no sorrow…………..only glory in the light of the Almighty. SO next time you’re looking for your in flight parachute….don’t bail out guys……what lies on the other side of this flight of life is so beautiful. And it is so worth it!

I hope you all had a good weekend. Ours was busy, but very nice. The family was/is battling colds and allergies, but it was just a nice one! Yesterday we had a fun time together. Since my wife helped us get healthy last year, and we have totally re-organized our lifestyle, eating habits etc…. sugar is a luxury we do not consumer like we used to. As such, so is fast food or anything of the like. But, yesterday we decided that the kids were good, and it was beautiful outside, so we decided to load them up and go out for an early dinner/late lunch and dessert  It was GREAT!

Well over a year ago, the 1st Sonic in the state of Oregon was opened up. I was ecstatic having basically grown up on their delicious greasy fare and savory beverages and frozen treats! But, sadly, it was shortly after its ceremonious opening that we decided to get healthier! So, needless to say, our family had yet to visit the restaurant together and enjoy. SO yesterday….we went! It was just so fun. We sat outside. The kids played and loved it. We ate some good food, drank some amazing slushes and Vanilla Dr. Peppers. We had shared some delicious sundaes. It was very special to us. It meant a LOT. To many of you this may sound crazy…but it was.

Had we decided to go there often like we would have in the past…it would have been just another day. But for us, it was special. It was a big deal. It was a TREAT for us, because we did not get to go often. It was a great memory for us. But, should we now choose to go each week, in no time it would not be a bog deal at all. Human nature tends to see us all get used to things really easy and they can even lose their luster pretty quickly if we over do it and take them for granted!

The same is true with our faith isn’t it? Think about it. Who is usually more excited about Jesus and more on fire to share him: The new convert or the life long church going Christian? Who is excited and still sees their salvation as an undeserved treat which one often takes it somewhat for granted? More times than not….it is the new Christian that is more excited and appreciative.

I urge all of us to never EVER take for granted the gift of salvation. It is not just something we have daily and celebrate each Sunday. It is not a gift that we should tire or bore of. But truth is, each day we wake up, we are give a “TREAT” if you will. Never let it get to be old news. Never forget the power!

So have a great week….go out there and be excited for what you have been given….and if given a chance…the number 10 combo at Sonic is pretty dang good! 

I know that the majority of you are like me, against all better judgment, are an addict of American Idol. If so, then Wed. night, unless you are missing several brain cells, or are completely tone deaf, was a long overdue victory for all of us! I am talking about the long long long long long long time coming departure of Sanjaya! Join me together as we all scream: FINALLY!

Some things may take longer than expected…but everyone knew it would happen. It was clearly inevitable. All that was happening was a prolonging of the inevitable!

This makes me think of a recent conversation I was a minor part of. A person was arguing against a relationship with God. He sounded very astute in his reasoning and was obviously practiced at arguing his point! And what it boiled down to was, “I like living like I wanna’ live. And I see no proof of God right now, so why in the world would I worry about God directed consequences in a supposed afterlife?”

And really, it made me sad. Just like the many “Sanjaya-heads”. This guy is doing nothing more than prolonging the inevitable! Actually much of this world is! At times, maybe one of us has even been guilty!

What I mean is this: GOD WILL COME! That is a fact. Romans 14:11 says that one day “EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." And that fella who was arguing…well, he can live any way he wants right now. He has total freedom to do so. He can deny God all he wants. But the impending day is coming, and the truth is, that ONE DAY, he WILL bow down, and confess the reality of God almighty! Every one of us will!

I urge you…..do it now, before it is too late.

Have you ever just WANTED to not like something? For some reason, you decided that you would hate it before you really had even “tried” it out? It is amazing how, in such an instance, one can truly will himself into believing that the dislike is real.

I have done it before. I was determ9ned to never ever like Death Cab for Cutie. So I set out telling myself it was “sissy music”. There was no substance to it, blah blah blah. The same with the Killers. I wanted nothing to do with the whole 80’s revival they rode in on a few years ago. SO before I even heard them, it was decided that I hated them. NOTHING was going to change my mind.

I am sure that you have all done that too. It may have been music like in the case described above, or it may have been a movie or a TV show. Maybe it was a fashion. “I’ll never like mullets” ! Sadly, for many of us it may have been a person……someone who we did not know at all, but for any number of reasons decided that we would never like them. Unless we finally ever changed, we may have missed out on some of the best people alive or some amazing friendships!

Have you ever done this? I know you have. I have, many times.

Let me encourage those of you who may get discouraged sharing the news of Christ. Honestly, your batting averages will be kinda’ low. You may know many more rejections that acceptance, but those times when your words fall on an open heart, WOW!!!!, the celebration far outweighs the negative times!

Many people have already decided that they just do not like God. Maybe it was due to a childhood tragedy. Maybe it was a prayer they felt was unanswered. Maybe it was a hypocrite turning them off….the list could go on and be a million things. But, they have resolved in their minds and hearts, that they have no love for God.

Let me encourage you again…these people can be reached to. You just keep loving them. Do not judge. Do not get mad. Keep praying and keep loving…..and I PROMISE that God’ power can get through even to the hardest of hearts.

Remember those bands I said I hated. Well…….”Plan” by Death Cab is playing as I type this, and the Killers are some of the most played on the ol’ Ipod. I am not sure how it happened, but I had a change of heart. And just like me….some of those people resistant to your message can too. Keep on loving!

What a great Easter Service we had at W. Main yesterday! If you were not there, the singing was OFF THE CHAIN! It was a wonderful day to celebrate the resurrection of our savior!

During church, my daughter was being herself…which is a little bit mischievous but a WHOLE LOT adorable! It was very cute. She would take all the songbooks out of the pews. One by one she would extricate them from their dwelling places and place them in a stack on the pew we sat on. She had a huge smile with each one, and after successfully stacking them, she would clap and quietly proclaim “I did it!”. It was truly the cutest thing you’ve ever seen!

She continued this (that girl can stick to a project! ) through the Lord’s Supper communion service. As I was partaking and reflecting, 3 times I heard her say I did it….until I acknowledged her. As I continued to think, I realized what a contrast her sweet 1 yr old attitude was to the meal we were sharing. She was all about I DID IT! Communion is all about HE DID IT, and I could do nothing!

In a world where individualism and self acclaim are highly touted, and where egos and cockiness are often publicly rewarded, it is hard to think in any other way except in the “I DID IT” context. It is my prayer that in my faith in Christ, I can always remember that I did nothing. In fact, all that I did do should have resulted in much much worse than it has. Yet, my God loved me anyway…and HE did it for me. Just for me. Thank you Jesus.

Having just returned from a week working for God in Mexico, you’d think I’d have tons of stories to share and all sorts of theological theories to share with you. You’d think I would share ideas about helping poverty, learning contentment etc…..
But alas, those are too predictable and canned, so instead I want to talk to you a little about hot sauce!

One of the best things about our mission trip each year is the food! Ladies from our church team up with locals from San Felipe and each night, they make us culinary delights from heaven! One day we were treated to a few homemade salsas and hot sauces. One said “HOT” in big letters on it! Man………… WOW……….that was an UNDERSTATEMENT! It was the hottest thing I had ever placed in my mouth. I thought I’d try some first, rather than just diving in, so I literally stuck the smallest corner of the chip in, about the size of half a pencil eraser! That tiny lil’ dash just about burned my face off! It only took a little bit to heat up EVERYTHING!

I think this same principle could apply to how we share Christ with the world! We have all these preconceived ideas of what evangelism should look like. To some of us it looks like door to door knocking. To others it may involve handing out food or clothes. To others it may be at a mission or shelter…..and the lost goes on. Often time, we make it much harder than it is.

Sometimes, it may be as easy as just giving someone a little love. We may not need to have all the answers. We may not even need to have a bible at that time. Many times, people just want and need to feel loved! I smile, a handshake, a hug……these go a LONG LONG way!

It may only take a little to warm up someone’s life…just a “cornerfull of love” can set a heart on fire! Consider that next time you are reaching out to the world. I thought of saying something like “be God’s hotsauce”, but that was way to cheesy ! So I will close with these words from His Holy word:

John 13:35--"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Our week in Mexico was a huge success. We built two lovely houses, repaired and painted a camp, and experienced all sorts of fun and fellowship! Many miles were driven, many nails pounded, many blocks laid, and many sunrays absorbed…all in the name of Jesus Christ!

This year was one of extremes in weather. It would get quite warm in the day, then quite cold in the night. On Tuesday night, many of us got to be a part of our first wind/sand storm! Winds were whipping through the camp at very fast speeds. It was quite amazing. Some of the smaller folks were threatened with being lifted off the ground !

All Monday and Tuesday a diligent crew had been working on re-roofing the giant roof of the auditorium. Right around 4:00, they were at a finishing point. Unfortunately, right about 4:30, the wind storm started moving in! You can imagine how disappointing it could have been to see all of your work get ripped off in seconds! So the crew and a few extras that were on other jobs quickly jumped into action! A line formed and folks began dragging cinder blocks, bricks and tires up the 20 ft. ladder. In a few minutes, the strategically placed items were keeping the new roofing paper in place! Some quick thinking and fast action really help avoid a disaster.

Life comes at us quick. And sometimes, the storms come quicker than we are ready for them! It pays to be prepared. It pays to have safeguards like the tires and bricks. God’s word is loaded with wisdom and knowledge to help weather any storm. I suggest they serve as your wind breakers! And just like on the roof, one man couldn’t have done it. It took a team! Surround yourselves with God’s followers who will be ready on a split second to help you prepare fro the storm! If a few Americans can do that well, imagine what the creator of the universe can do for us!

Thanks to all who prayed for the week. We were all blessed to be a part of it!

My son Jude was in the backyard playing with his friend Jacob, who’d brought over some new toy airplanes. I was working in the front yard but could here them. They were cute. Having plane races, laughing and fighting them. Over and over they kept saying. “It’s an airplane now”….PAUSE…. “now it’s a jet”. I wasn’t sure what made it a “JET” but I was interested.

Eventually my working took me to the back. So I asked to see the plane. Apparently it had some moveable secret parts, ala Transformers, and could turn from your basic jet, to a fighter jet in seconds! In their minds, it wasn’t a jet until it could fore missiles. Of course, we super smart educated folks  know that it was a jet all along.

I think we often play the “transformer” game with our faith too. How many of us would be guilty of our coworkers saying “he’s just a person now…..PAUSE, SUNDAY COMES AND WE GET OUT OUR BIBLES…..”NOW he’s a Christian”! Ouch!!!! But too many people in the world compartmentalize and separate their “normal” loves from their Christian lives. Sadly, it just doesn’t work like this. The Bible tells us we are Christians ALWAYS. We don’t flip any switches or press any button to turn it on or off.

Yet, many of us treat it like this. We will get out our “Christian accessories”, put on our Sunday best, dust off the Bible, even turn off the radios….for at least one day a week (Wednesdays too if we’re REALLY holy! )…only to quickly put them away and switch back when it is over.

It is easy to do. Each of us had been guilty. I challenge us all to remember that we belong to Christ 100% of the time, and as such, we are Christians 100% of the time. If you truly believed that…..would your life look any different?

In the hottest movie on the planet right now…….and that would be 300, there is a very interesting comparison that takes place. In it, you have King Leonidas, of the proud and mighty Spartans. You also have King Xerxes of the debaucherous and self indulgent Persians. Each leads a strong and powerful military. Each leads a powerful country. Each exudes power in all of their actions.

The interesting contrast lies though in HOW they display power. Xerxes shows power by standing out, in over-excesses. He is adorned from head to toe in silk and gold. Jewels cover his entire body. He is made up to look flawless and perfect. As such, he is separated from his people and exalted on high, excluding himself to a world of privileged excess. Leonidas, while quite the physical specimen himself, looks like any other Spartan man (that being said, each is built like a WWF wrestler! J) He wears no special jewels or gold. No extremes are taken to make him stand out. He lives and mingles with the people, excluding no one or nothing from daily life.


Leonidus does not think himself better than anyone else. He shows great respect for his fellow warriors. He lives among his people. He serves his people. Xerxes, thinks himself better than anyone…to the point of considering himself a god. He separates himself from others, unless THEY can serve him.


And lastly….the stark difference is MOST apparent in battle. Xerxes of course does NOT fight. He sits off in the distance. Watching his men get killed, commanding from afar, like a coward. Leonidus of course fights right beside his men, often leading the charge. He bleeds with them, and faces death like them, like a man of courage.


I ask you today……..what kid of king would you like to serve.


Many choose to serve the world and its kings. Riches, fame, lies…Satan. If so, you can expect empty worth found in things that will deteriate and fall away. You will find that vanity is only skin deep. You will find yourself wanting. You will find yourself serving a king that only cares for you if you can further HIS desires and wishes, and who never gives back anything to you. And you will find yourself alone…with NO ONE fighting for you when you need it most.


As for me. I choose to serve the ONE TRUE king. A king who became just another man, who lived among his people as one of them, choosing no excess. My king serves me, and asks only for my love in return. And I serve a king who fights my battles in the trenches, right beside me. A king who actually went ahead of me and fought the battle, paying the ultimate price, losing his life so that I might live in freedom.


Long live the king. Jesus Christ…king of kings!

I awoke today to peruse my daily news blogs that I look at each morning to read this terrible news:

Sylvester Stallone was charged by the Australian authorities with importing vials of a banned human growth hormone into the country, when he arrived on Feb. 16 to promote his latest "Rocky Balboa" movie.

Prosecution documents handed to the court Tuesday said Stallone had marked "No" on a customs declaration card that asked if he was bringing into Australia restricted or prohibited goods "such as medicines, steroids, firearms, weapons, or any kind of illicit drugs."

After they showed up on an X-ray of his luggage, the airport staff in Sidney discovered 48 vials of the human growth hormone product Jintropin, made by Chinese firm GeneSciene Pharmaceuticals.

"It was just a minor misunderstanding," Stallone told reporters in Sydney after the incident. "They were just doing their jobs. I just didn't understand some of the rules here."

How terrible! I don’t know about you, but I am a good ol’, red blooded, action movie loving American……and as such, I love me some Rocky!!!!! So, to see Mr. Stallone, who has been appearing on all sorts of Christian Media to support the coinciding rise of his new movie and newly resurfaced faith, fall so bad, hurts just a little bit. I felt a twinge of sadness……..and then I finished my egg burrito.

How many of us are TRULY to believe that Mr. Rambo didn’t know what he was doing was wrong?!?!? He KNEW it; he even checked the box that he WAS NOT doing it to try and hide the infraction. You know as well as I do, that he is guilty. But, I honestly believe that on some level, Rocky actually believed that he was innocent.

What I mean is this. How many times have you taken part in an action of “questionable character”, only to convince yourself that it wasn’t wrong? If you are like me, the answer is: MANY! If we argue enough with our conscience, twist and spin fact, and lie enough to ourselves…….we will eventually begin to believe it. So many times I talk to folks guilty of a mistake, to find out that they REALLY believe they are innocent. It is how we are wired….we can become TOTALLY convinced of anything that we want to believe…even if it is obviously false!

What is it that you still convince yourself of that is “okay”. What are you a part of now that you may have convinced yourself was okay!

I encourage us all to take a “moral inventory”………. And hold our lives us to the true litmus test….Jesus Christ. Remember….as easily as we are convinced to believe lies….Jesus even washes you clean even easier!

So…..let’s clean some things up. Oh and by the way….I still love you Rocky and cannot wait until Netflix delivers the new movie!

There is a river that washes you clean
There is a tree that marks the places you've been
Blood that was spilled, although not your own
For all of those tears, love will atone
-Jars of Clay

I read an article today about the new movie “300”. By now you have probably seen a preview of the film. It looks, if nothing else, amazing to the eyes! It is about a battle in 480 B.C. between a small band of Spartans and the emerging massive army of Persia, which is said to have inspired all if Greece band together to defeat the Persians and usher in the world’s 1st democracy.

Recently, as the director has been making the required rounds of press junkets and self promotion, much debate had been sparked of the movie. Apparently the press seems to believe that the movie is nothing more than a collection of political undertones and parallels to modern US politics. The director, Zach Snyder denies any intentional effort for this to be true.

Interestingly enough one group blames him for criticizing our current administration and the war in Iraq, while another just as vehemently blames him for creating too much pro-America and war propaganda. How can one film promote two such polar extreme ideas????? Of course, all of the debate will undoubtedly do nothing but draw more attention and success to the film.

I find it funny how people look into a movie and can pull so much more from it than the director himself ever meant for it to make. We can find whatever issue we want to champion in anything if we search hard enough. It is just like modern culture to search SO HARD for deeper meanings in things, than were ever intended.

We are all guilty of this. We pour through literature. We look into news and gossip rags….all in search for deeper meaning. Movies, TV, music….we scour it all for answers!

Sadly, our efforts always end up leaving us found wanting.

There is hope though…there is a source for answers. There is a well from which we can draw. There is a place where can look for deeper meaning and actually find it.

God’s word…absolute truth……the DEEPEST of all meanings is there for us to grasp…..let’s try picking it up, instead of a magazine covered in more pictures of Britney’s bald head.